Frontline report: Tactical missteps doom Russian offensive on Terny

2 December. Today there are a lot of updates from the Lyman direction, Donetsk Oblast.

Here, Russian forces launched a renewed wave of assaults on Terny, hoping to capitalize on high ground and forest cover to break Ukrainian defenses.

Instead, their overextended logistics and exposed positions became fatal vulnerabilities, as Ukrainian forces immobilized their armored column and systematically eliminated the stranded troops in a devastating counteraction.

The Russian military launched this recent new wave of frontal assaults to capture the Ukrainian-held settlement of Terny with the clear goal of seizing it and consolidating control over the east bank of the Zherebets River. Achieving this would allow Russia to advance toward Lyman, putting additional pressure on Ukrainian forces to support the broader Russian offensive objectives in the Donbas region by forcing the Ukrainians to overstretch their defense.

The Russians had previously failed to take Terny with attacks from the north and after suffering losses were forced to take an operational pause which they used to regroup and prepare. This time, they launched their assault from the east, utilizing the cover of a small forest to minimize Ukrainian crossfire and exploit the long and narrow layout of Terny, which makes the village naturally harder to defend from the east. Attacking from the high ground offered another tactical advantage for the Russians, providing them with better lines of sight and potential dominance over the battlefield. However, despite these benefits, two significant challenges undermined their operation.

Firstly, logistics proved to be a critical weakness for the Russians as while advancing, their forces were stretched thin, relying on supply lines that extended over 16 kilometers from the nearest settlements around Luhansk Oblast’s Kreminna. This distance left their units vulnerable to disruption and delayed the delivery of ammunition, equipment, and reinforcements.

Secondly, the open fields surrounding the approach to Terny also worked against them, exposing their movements to early detection by Ukrainian reconnaissance drones.

In order to prepare as best as possible and exploit vulnerabilities in Ukrainian defense lines, the Russians started conducting small probing assaults involving teams of between two and four soldiers. Soon, Ukrainian military observers stated that Russian forces had increased their efforts and were now attacking in squads of 10 to 15 soldiers with the support of armored vehicles.

Ukrainian forces, being on high alert, capitalized on the Russian disadvantages with a well-coordinated defense. Using real-time intelligence from drones with thermal vision, they identified enemy troop movements far in advance.

Geolocated footage from one attempt (the original footage was published on 10 December by Ukraine’s 63rd Brigade, – Ed.) shows how a Russian advancing unit moves along a tree line but is quickly targeted by the Ukrainians with artillery, inflicting significant casualties before they can even reach the frontline. Survivors are then hunted down with the help of grenades dropped by drones.

Another example of how Ukrainians engaged the attackers early and exploited the overstretched logistics to successfully neutralize the Russian offensive before it gained momentum was published by drone operators of the Ukrainian 60th Mechanized Brigade.

The footage starts with two Russian BMPs moving quickly and close to the forest to remain undetected by the defenders in Terny. Unfortunately for the Russians, the Ukrainians used a drone to target one of the leading armored vehicles. After it caught fire, the Russian soldiers on board jumped to seek cover in the trees. The other BMP continued a bit further before also being hit by an FPV drone. With panic kicking in, the driver turned the vehicle and started heading back. The Russians in the trees were left without armored support and under close Ukrainian watch from the sky, which prompted a rain of grenades and kamikaze drones that eliminated them and cleared the forest.

Overall, the renewed Russian attempt to take Terny failed at its very beginning. Their inability to adapt to logistical constraints and counter Ukrainian defense measures left them unable to achieve their strategic objectives. For now, Terny remains firmly under Ukrainian control, and the bridgehead on the east bank of the Zherebets River continues to serve as a key position for Ukraine’s defense in the Lyman sector.

In our regular frontline report, we pair up with the military blogger Reporting from Ukraine to keep you informed about what is happening on the battlefield in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLNRSiY7TXo

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